Last week, I mentioned I’d been away to Wales. We stayed in a beautifully restored 18th-century cottage, but unfortunately, it rained a lot. However, we made the best of it and there were some sunny days mixed with the rainfall. Good old Wet Wales!
What was more important was I got to spend some much-needed downtime with my family. We’ve had a few family holidays in Wales over the years and it is a beautiful part of the world. This time we stayed in Powys (mid-Wales), so we were surrounded by rugged hills, lush greenery, and, of course, sheep.
The nearest town to us was Machynlleth (pronounced mack-hen-cleth)—a small market town in the Dyfi Valley. Obviously, I couldn’t miss the chance to learn a bit about the history of the town while I was there.
Historical Facts About Machynlleth
- One of the earliest written references to Machynlleth is the Royal Charter granted in 1291 by Edward I to Owen de la Pole, Lord of Powys. The charter allowed him to hold “a market at Machynlleth every Wednesday for ever and two fairs every year”. The Wednesday market is still a busy and popular day in Machynlleth.
- Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr’s Welsh Parliament in 1404 and claims to be the “ancient capital of Wales”. Owain Glyndŵr led a 15-year revolt against the English between 1400 and 1415. Glyndŵr was the last Welshman to hold the title of Prince of Wales. His medieval parliament building still stands on the main road through the town.
- Also in the centre of the town stands Royal House, a 16th-century merchant building. An English ally, Dafydd Gam, who tried to assassinate Glyndwr, was imprisoned there before being ransomed to the English. Charles I also stayed there in 1643, which is why it may be called Royal House.
- The clock tower in the middle of the road junction was built in 1874 to celebrate the 21st birthday of the local landowner’s son, Viscount Castlereagh. (He was the great-nephew of Regency politician Lord Castlereagh.)
More Places to Visit in Wet Wales
On the dry days, we visited a couple of beautiful beaches. I recommend a trip to Barmouth if you’re ever in the area. The beautiful bay features a lovely stretch of soft sand and is surrounded by hills. You may also glimpse the US Airforce jets as they hurtle through the valley on training manoeuvres.
Aberdovey is a quaint fishing village with dunes and painted terraces on the seafront. We also visited Aberystwyth on a windy, but dry, day and clambered through the castle ruins following a trip on the Victorian elevated railway. The views from the top of Constitution Hill were impressive.
Unfortunately, a lot of the more impressive castles are on the north coast, and it was too far to travel to visit them. I’ve already been to Harlech and Conwy, but I would have loved to see Caernarfon. Perhaps I’ll get time on my next visit to Wales.
This week, I’m back to fiction writing at 5 am and the day job. Wet Wales already feels like a long time ago. Have you been to Wales and what did you think?
